In these one-on-one interviews, House and Senate leaders provided perspectives on our nation’s fiscal
outlook and policies to ensure sustained economic growth. Recent legislation—combined with existing
structural deficits and a demographic tidal wave in the years ahead—poses considerable policy challenges
to lawmakers to put our fiscal house in order and set us on a more sustainable path. Leading lawmakers
from both sides of the aisle assessed challenges and opportunities in building a better economic and
fiscal future.

This interview with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was conducted by The Washington Post'sErica Werner as part of the 2018 Fiscal Summit.

Representative Nancy Pelosi

(D-CA) House Democratic Leader

Nancy Pelosi is the Democratic Leader of the House of Representatives in the 115th Congress. From 2007
to 2011, she served as the first woman Speaker of the House. Leader Pelosi has led House Democrats for
15 years and has represented San Francisco, California’s 12th District, for 30 years. As House Democratic
Leader, Pelosi is fighting for bigger paychecks and better infrastructure for America’s middle class families.
In 2013, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Seneca Falls, the
birthplace of the American women’s rights movement.

Under Pelosi’s leadership, the 111th Congress was heralded as “one of the most productive Congresses in
history” by Congressional scholar Norman Ornstein.

Pelosi brings to her leadership position a distinguished record of legislative accomplishment. Pelosi
spearheaded passage of historic health insurance reform legislation in the House which establishes a
Patients’ Bill of Rights and will provide insurance for tens of millions more Americans while lowering health
care costs over the long term. Other accomplishments include the passage of historic investments in
college aid, clean energy and innovation, and initiatives to help small businesses and veterans. She has
been a powerful voice for civil rights and human rights around the world for decades.

Pelosi comes from strong family tradition of public service in Baltimore. Married to Paul Pelosi, she is a
mother of five and grandmother of nine.

Erica Werner

Congressional Reporter, The Washington Post

Erica Werner covers Congress with a focus on economic policy for the Washington Post. Before joining the
Post in the fall of 2017, she worked for more than 17 years for the Associated Press, starting as a temporary
hire in the Los Angeles bureau and going on to cover the White House and Capitol Hill. She began her
career as a journalist at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Werner graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Romance Languages and Literature. She lives
in Washington with her husband, Bill, and two young daughters.

Why Fiscal Issues Matter in the 2018 Election

This election season is a critical opportunity for candidates to talk to voters about solutions to put us on a better path.